# O.P.I Nail Polishes



## wurlyz18 (Aug 24, 2012)

Hi,

   I was just wondering where I could get O.P.I nail varnishes at cheap prices? Also whats your favourite nail polish, what you could suggest to me? I need inspiration lol, I'm just getting bored of painting them similar colours all the time  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> 

PLEASE HELP!


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## DBGenevieve (Aug 24, 2012)

> Originally Posted by *wurlyz18* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> Hi,
> 
> ...


 I got mine at Merle Norman. There's also "Nicole by O.P.I." and "O.P.I. for SEPHORA". The latter two are less expensive, and I personally prefer the original OPI. They seem to last longer and wear better. I've tried all 3.

[SIZE=medium](Deleted link per _TERMS OF SERVICE[/SIZE]_[SIZE=medium])[/SIZE]


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## mermuse (Aug 24, 2012)

It's getting more difficult to get OPI polishes cheaply.  Even transdesign which sells bottles that have markings on them to differentiate from regular retail are up to $6.80 each which is nearly the same price especially after the shipping costs.  I used to get a lot of my OPI from Ulta when they did their buy two get one free promos &amp; I'd combine that with a coupon.  I haven't noticed that deal in a while, but of course I haven't been lurking Ulta either.  The Ulta clearance section is a great place to browse but the discounts aren't always significant.  I've ordered from ebay before from certain well-reviewed sellers, but you can potentially get into the world of "fakes" and whatnot.  I have found the bottles I have ordered to be fine, personally, but that's a whole different topic.

As far as color inspiration, I suggest browsing nail polish blogs such as Scrangie, Vampy Varnish, All You Desire, &amp; Alizarine Claws following it up by checking out some of the other blogs on their blogroll.  There's a whole huge world out there, and you'll start finding favorite blogs to follow and get excited about upcoming collections.  You'll also start quickly finding polishes you love from the swatches, and you'll get ideas of what you want. 

As my collection grew, I used to decide that I wanted, say, a good "mustard yellow cream," and would search swatches until I found one that I liked.  Once you start poking around the internet, you'll find that inspiration is endless.

I also suggest not limiting yourself to just OPI.  Zoya is a brand I've come to really love, and if you pay attention to their website and start following blogs, you'll learn when their promotions are going on and you can snag bottles for as low as $4 each.  Also, China Glaze is a great brand with a bazillion colors that are frequently on clearance at Sally's for as low as $1.50.  Transdesign and head2toebeauty sell this brand for about $3 (unless it's a specialty collection), and they have some great stuff.

Also, I suggest finding a top coat and a base coat that you like and work for you to help extend the length of your manicure.  I find that longevity is much more related to pigment type &amp; finish of polish than to brand.  Many blogs will tout their favorites, but I think the base coat should be related to your nail type.  Good, fast drying top coats I enjoy are seche vite, poshe, &amp; healthy hoof which are all available at Sally's and vary in viscosity and, but you will start to discover many bloggers have their die hard favorites.

Happy hunting!


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## mermuse (Aug 24, 2012)

> Originally Posted by *DBGenevieve* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> I got mine at Merle Norman. There's also "Nicole by O.P.I." and "O.P.I. for SEPHORA". The latter two are less expensive, and I personally prefer the original OPI. They seem to last longer and wear better. I've tried all 3.
> 
> http://fuckyeahnailart.tumblr.com/


 Nicole by OPI is geared towards a younger demographic and is the most widely available as it as at places like Target (which has some exclusives out right now that are really cool), drug stores, Walmart, and Ulta.  The retail around $7-$8

Sephora OPI is only available at Sephora and is also known as $OPI in the blogging community because it's slightly more expensive than regular OPI at a current retail of $9.50.  Although they will periodically clearance out their older colors.  For example, there are several on their website that are $5 right now.

OPI is a little bit harder to source, and the main retail outlet for them is Ulta although I've seen them at the grocery store and drug store.  Last I recall, they retailed at $8.50 at Ulta.  I suppose Merle Norman carries them now.  That's new to me, but I did know they had created some exclusive red, white, and blue themed color collection for them.


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## tgooberbutt (Aug 31, 2012)

I usually buy the mini (1/8th size) bottle sets from Ulta when I can find a $3.50 or $5 off coupon - that makes trying lots of colors relatively cheap. There are also a lot of deals on eBay, though if it's too good of a deal, it's likely a fake bottle. I cut it close once when I ordered 10 mini bottles for $16.50, shipped, and it turned out that even these mini-bottles were counterfeits. I got a refund, but you have to be really careful.


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## greenapril (Sep 1, 2012)

I prefer the Nicole by OPI nail polishes. Only because the OPI nail polishes I've purchased are runny and require a lot of coats. I guess your best bet is to try and score some on clearance the older nail polishes. It's a little difficult to get them pretty cheap.


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## tgooberbutt (Sep 1, 2012)

PS - my local TJ Maxx has a bunch of the Nicole OPIs in two-packs for around $10.


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## Dalylah (Sep 2, 2012)

Yesterday I saw about 20 different OPI colors as well as about 40 Sephora by OPI colors at Target. I didn't see how much the Sephora bottles were but the regular ones were 8.50 which is about the going rate.


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## calexxia (Sep 2, 2012)

> Originally Posted by *Dalylah* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> Yesterday I saw about 20 different OPI colors as well as about 40 Sephora by OPI colors at Target. I didn't see how much the Sephora bottles were but the regular ones were 8.50 which is about the going rate.


 I've not yet seen the $OPI, but I frequently see the remainders of previous LE OPI lines at Target, plus a few heavy hitters from the permanent line, and a handful of Nicoles.


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## flawlessme06 (Sep 2, 2012)

I normally buy mine from Sally Beauty when they have their sales and Ulta.


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## calexxia (Sep 2, 2012)

> Originally Posted by *flawlessme06* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> I normally buy mine from Sally Beauty when they have their sales and Ulta.


 My local Sally Beauty doesn't carry OPI, although they do great sales on China Glaze quite frequently.


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## PeridotCricket (Sep 2, 2012)

The Sephora Salon inside JC Penney here in Council Bluffs has the Amazing Spiderman Collectiin by OPI on clearance for $4.00. I got 2 Just Spotted the Lizard and 1 Into the Night. They both took 3 coats. I painted my nails Tuesday and they are chipped Saturday. Seche Clear Base Coat and Seche Vite Top Coat. And still chipping.  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />


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## beautycare (Sep 8, 2012)

I love OPI, its my favorite!


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## MissLindaJean (Sep 8, 2012)

My Sally's carries China Glaze and Orly, but never gets much LE stuff or seasonal collections early..always waaaay later. I think they just finally put out a C.G. Safari display last week and it only had 3 polishes left? I'm going to have to keep up with nail blogs and do more online orders.


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## Dalylah (Sep 8, 2012)

> Originally Posted by *MissLindaJean* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> My Sally's carries China Glaze and Orly, but never gets much LE stuff or seasonal collections early..always waaaay later. I think they just finally put out a C.G. Safari display last week and it only had 3 polishes left? I'm going to have to keep up with nail blogs and do more online orders.


Mine is the same. When I go in they either aren't there or all the good colors are taken and they have no backup.


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## Tyari (Sep 9, 2012)

Aside from OPI, I like China Glaze and Essie. I have a bunch of Sephora by OPI nail polishes, and Sinful Colors. Sinful Colors are only $1.99


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## tgooberbutt (Sep 28, 2012)

I need help identifying an OPI bottle.... I bought a 2-pack from Marshalls today (my local store had two-packs of past seasons colors for $7.99). One bottle was from the Miss America line, It's My Year, and the other is a light, neutral gray that looks like "My Pointe Exactly," but it does not have it's typical OPI sticker on the bottom. I don't think it's a fake, since it is from a major store, and the labeling on the bottle is all correct, including the OPI imprinted on the inside brush wand. The ID number printed on the bottom rim says " 1 1267ARV" 

Anyone know which polish I got?


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## effigie (Sep 28, 2012)

Hmmm... not sure.  I'm used to OPI numbers starting with NL/HL/NM/etc (depends on collection).

For example, My Pointe Exactly is NLT54.


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## mermuse (Sep 28, 2012)

Is there any shimmer in it or is it a creme or a jelly?  How light of grey is it?  Can you post a picture of the bottle and/or swatch?  I'm pretty familiar with colors from the last few seasons, so I could probably tell you by sight.


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## tgooberbutt (Sep 28, 2012)

Yeah, all OPIs seem to have two sets of numbers, and both appear on the little sticker on the bottom of the bottle, which is missing on this. The sticker has both the "NL....." and a stamped five-digit number followed by three letters.... the eight (5+3) digits is the same between what is physically stamped on the bottle and printed on the sticker.... The stamped number is 11267ARV...  No shimmer, dries to a shiny finish.


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## lolaB (Sep 28, 2012)

Looks like Skull and Glossbones


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## tgooberbutt (Sep 28, 2012)

> Originally Posted by *lolaB* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> Looks like Skull and Glossbones


  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> the first googled swatch pict I looked up after you mentioned it looked exactly like it. But then another site:

http://addictedtoallthingspretty.com/opi-pirates-of-the-caribbean-collection-review-and-swatches-pictures/

posted the bottom label of Skull and Glossbones, and the second id number doesn't match mine. Mine has 11267ARV not the 10363APV as shown below...

But man, they do look exactly the same.... I've heard of OPI taking the same polish and slapping a new name on it for special sets though....Alpine snow and Mummy Knows Best are the same as they both have NLL00 on the bottom of their bottles (I have the minis of both). Could this be the case for full-sizes as well?


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## effigie (Sep 29, 2012)

> Originally Posted by *tgooberbutt* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> the first googled swatch pict I looked up after you mentioned it looked exactly like it. But then another site:
> 
> ...


 Aaah, okay, I didn't realize you were talking about the serial number at first.  The serial number is different for each batch, even if it's the same polish.  My Skull &amp; Glossbones serial is 11068AAG.


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## tgooberbutt (Sep 29, 2012)

> Originally Posted by *effigie* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> 
> Aaah, okay, I didn't realize you were talking about the serial number at first.  The serial number is different for each batch, even if it's the same polish.  My Skull &amp; Glossbones serial is 11068AAG.


 Oh Nice!!! Thank you so much - then I think you might be spot on with Skull &amp; Glossbones. It does look exactly like the picture. Is there any resource to check serial numbers for OPI? If not, I'm pretty satisfied already  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> Thank you effigie and lolaB  !!!  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />


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## lolaB (Sep 30, 2012)

I don't think there are any sites that track SNs. The only ones I know about help with naming minis, but not full sized bottles. I think you can rest assured that it's S&amp;G. OPI doesn't have too many greys like that. Now if it were a red, we'd be here forever, lol.


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## tgooberbutt (Sep 30, 2012)

> Originally Posted by *lolaB* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> OPI doesn't have too many greys like that. Now if it were a red, we'd be here forever, lol.


 LOL! very true. You guys are awesome - mystery solved soooo quickly  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />


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## zadidoll (Sep 30, 2012)

> Originally Posted by *flawlessme06* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> I normally buy mine from Sally Beauty when they have their sales and Ulta.


 Sally Beauty does not carry OPI but their sister store Cosmoprof does.


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## sleepykat (Sep 30, 2012)

If there is an OPI that I want, I will usually wait to combine a sale and a coupon at ULTA. China Glaze is usually good; I would get it at head2toebeauty.com. My favorite brand so far is Zoya--I have never had any disappointments with them. I typically love Essie, but it is less consistent than Zoya for me regarding formula. You might also want to check out the trade threads on here. A large number of my polishes are from trades. Nail blogs are constantly giving me inspiration. Some of my favorites are Chalkboard Nails, The Crumpet, Lucy's Stash, Nailasaurus, A Girl and Her Polish, and Lacquer or Leave Her.


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## chrysalis101 (Oct 1, 2012)

I like my Nichole by OPIs and China Glazes. I've gotten them both at Ulta by combining either clearance and a coupon or B2G1 and a coupon. But I like Sinful Colors too because they're usually a good consistency for me and so cheap at CVS or Walgreen's and I can use ECB or Register Rewards on them to make them free!

Check out Pinterest. That's how I got into nail art. Then you get to see tons of really cool ideas from tons of really cool people at the same time. A lot of times, seeing them on Pinterest has led to me checking up on or following their blogs.


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## JaclynO (Oct 3, 2012)

Has anyone seen the OPI 24K gold new polish coming out in October? It looks pretty cool but it almost reminds me of the "crackled" polish that seems to be pretty out now.. thoughts?


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## zadidoll (Oct 3, 2012)

> Originally Posted by *JaclynO* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> 
> Has anyone seen the OPI 24K gold new polish coming out in October? It looks pretty cool but it almost reminds me of the "crackled" polish that seems to be pretty out now.. thoughts?


 In a way it does but with the "new" polish (which actually is just making a comeback) it's gold flakes. Cheaper alternative would be to get gold leaf from the craft store, clear polish and do a bit of Franking.


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## MissLindaJean (Oct 3, 2012)

There are a few companies releasing gold K polishes for the season and upcoming holiday. I think most are doing a flakie type polish.


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## Fairest of all (Oct 3, 2012)

I just got this set yesterday at Sephora for free!!!! I really love all the colors


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## AuntOly (Oct 3, 2012)

> I just got this set yesterday at Sephora for free!!!! I really love all the colorsÂ


how did you get it free?


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## Fairest of all (Oct 3, 2012)

> Originally Posted by *AuntOly* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
> how did you get it free?


 It was on clearance in store from $36 to $10 and Sephora had a promotion on Friday where if you downloaded a smartphone app called "Wrapp" they would send you a $10 gift card. So I used that and got it for free


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## deactivateduser232015 (Oct 3, 2012)

You can ask around at salons; I think sometimes they might try to get rid of extras from old collections for a discount. I've never gotten the courage to do so though.

You can also ask around people in your area who are into polish things. Other than the Ulta deal someone mentioned up above ($3.50 off $10, try digging through their discount stash too -- I picked up OPI Do You Think I'm Texty and I know I saw Russian Navy in there), there are a lot of indie beauty shops that can sell them for cheaper. I know a friend took me to a mall in upstate NY were selling all their OPI's for $3.75, and no they weren't fake either. It was probably that the store was using that to lure people in to buy other products as well. There's a beauty shop I go to in northern Virginia that discounts their OPI from old collections to 50%, and I go digging through their bins every 1-2 months. XD; Online,  you're probably going to fin them $6.50+ per bottle after shipping at the cheapest.


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## sleepykat (Oct 4, 2012)

I think the OPI Skyfall collection has some awesome shades--my faves are Goldeneye and Casino Royale. I resisted buying them. Note: if you see the one from Skyfall that has teal glitter in it (The Living Daylights), check out the one in the Spoiled line by Wet n Wild, they have one that looks like it.

I was at a little no-name beauty shop/salon in my city. The only reason really that I resisted the OPI was because they were having a Zoya special: Buy two, get one free! I'm pretty sure they were clearing out to make room for new collections. It was mostly pinks and reds by the time I got there, but I did find a reddish purple and a duochrome orange, blah blah. When I got to the register, I saw two displays behind the counter and asked if they were display only; nope, they were for sale, too. Because they had been somewhat out of sight, they hadn't been picked through. I got Daul, Natty, and MarryJ.  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />


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